Racing dragon boat

ABSTRACT

A new racing dragon boat is built of steel, aluminum or synthetic materials in sections which are connected together by bolts and nuts into one piece nearly or over 100 feet long. The hull of the new racing dragon boat is painted with a special colorful pigment which will shine in the bright days as well as in the dark nights when it is illuminated by light.

ilitfi States Patent [191 Lain [ June 26, 1973 RACING DRAGON BOAT [76] Inventor: Dick sen 'fjw. Lau, 450 17th Avenue, San Francisco, Calif. 94121 22 Filed: Nov. 3*, 19 71 21 Appl. No.:195,157

[52] US. Cl. 9/2 S, 46/92, 46/124, 46/119 [51] Int. Cl B63b 7/04 [58] Field of Search 9/2 S, 2 R, 6; 46/92, 104, 107, 119, 123, 124, 154

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Brodrib 46/123 2,666,933 l/1954 Engensperger 9/2 S 2,786,303 3/1957 Zimmerman 461123 2,977,607 4/ 1961 Roblee 9/2 S Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant Examiner-Carl A. Rutledge [5 7] ABSTRACT A new racing dragon boat is built of steel, aluminum or synthetic materials in sections which are connected together by bolts and nuts into one piece nearly or over 100 feet long. The hull of the new racing dragon boat is painted with a special colorful pigment which will shine in the bright days as well as in the dark nights when it is illuminated by light.

5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures l fi F mm SHKU 2 IF 2 INVENTOR- DICKSEN TW L AU RACING DRAGON BOAT This invention relates to the improvements in the method of building the Chinese racing dragon boats. The Chinese dragon boats have several thousand years of history. But the method of construction has never been changed since the first one was built. It is a narrow vessel with a length to width ratio over 25 to l. The hull is built exclusively with wooden planks into one unit. Besides the head and the tail, its appearance looks very dull. Because of its length which usually reaches 100 feet long, it is not only very difficult to be stored when it is not in use, but it is also not easy to be transported from one place to another. The common method of storing a dragon boat now is either to bury it under the mud along the shore of a river or bay or to lay it on the bank of a river or bay without any covering. The former method can protect the dragon boats from severe weather and vandalism much better than the latter method. The transportation of a dragon boat is usually accomplished by rowing along the rivers and lakes. If the two places are separated by ocean or mountain, then the difficulty of transportation will become tremendous. The improvements suggested in this invention will do away with all these shortcomings.

The main object of this invention is to make the storing of dragon boats more convenient and space-saving. Because it will not be buried under the mud nor exposed to the severe weather any more, its life and appearance will be greatly improved.

Another important object of this invention is to make the transportation of dragon boats from one place to another much easier and faster even the two places are separated by difficult terrains or waters.

Another object of this invention is to substitute metallic materials such as steel, aluminum alloys and synthetic materials such as plastic, fiber glass, etc. for wood which has been the sole construction material for dragon boats in the past several thousand years.

This invention and its objects will be illustrated more fully in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is the vertical elevation of a dragon boat.

FIG. 2 is the horizontal plan of a dragon boat.

FIG. 3 is the sectional view at I I.

FIG. 4 illustrates the side view of the dragon head.

FIG. 5 shows the cross-sectional views at II II and II II.

FIG. 6 shows the cross-sectional views at III III and III --III.

FIG. 7 shows the cross-sectional views at IV IV and IV IV.

FIG. 8 shows the cross-sectional views at V V and FIG. 9 shows the cross-sectional views at VI VI.

FIG. 10 shows the cross-sectional view at VII VII.

Hereafter similar reference numerals identify corresponding parts throughout all the views in the attached drawings. In FIGS. 5 to 10, the skin plate 01 of the dragon boat is made of either metallic or synthetic materials. As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the total length of the dragon boat is divided into sections 02 and 02. Besides the two sections 02' next to the head and tail of the dragon boat, all the remaining sections are equal in length and similar in construction. At the ends of each section, diaphram plates 03 which are made of the same material as the skin plates are installed. These diaphram plates serve three purposes: first to strengthen the ends of each section by increasing the lateral rigidity, second to provide means for the bolt holes 04 through which the bolts 05 connect the two adjoining sections together, and third to provide supports for seats 06. Three of the four diaphram plates 03 installed in each section 02 as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, have openings 07 through which the stem 08 of the dragon head or dragon tail will pass through. The openings are larger than the stems and soft springs 09 are installed at the space between the peripheries of the openings and the four sides of the stems. The soft springs are attached to the peripheries of the openings by means of welds or adhesives 10. The fourth diaphram plate 03 installed in each section 02 does not have an opening. It provides a means for connecting the stem of the dragon head or tail to the boat as illustrated in FIG. 8. The two angles 11 are welded or fixed with adhesive to the diaphram plate 03. The distance between the angles is a little larger than the width of the stem. The stems are attached to the angles by means of long bolts 12 which go through the bolt holes in the outstanding legs of the angles as well as in the stems. Only the diameters of the bolt holes in the stems are larger than the diameters of the long bolts. The long bolts are kept in the position firmly by a bolt head 13 on one side and a bolt nut 14 on the other side. Because the bolt holes in the stems are larger than the long bolts and there are soft springs around the stems at the openings in the three diaphram plates 03, the dragon head and tail will wag as if it is alive when the dragon boat is rowing forward. In all sections 02, a narrow stiffening plate 15 is welded around the inside face of the hull 16 at the center between the two ends as shown in FIG. 9. The narrow stiffening plates possess two functions: One is to increase the lateral rigidity at that point. The other is to provide supports for the seats 06. The diaphram plates 03 and the narrow stiffening plates 15 are welded to the hull if they are made of metallic materials and fixed to the hull with adhesive if they are made of syn thetic materials. Except the two sections 02' at the ends, two angles 17 are welded or fixed with adhesives side by side on top of each diaphram plate and to the sides of each narrow stiffening plate as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. On the horizontal legs of the two angles, a piece of wood or synthetic material used as seat 06 is fastened. The distance between the centers of two consecutive seats will provide sufficient space for a rower to sit there with his feet at ease as shown in FIG. 3. The bolts 05 used to connect the sections are either steel or aluminum alloy with nuts and washers. Their sizes must be proper and their number must be sufficient in order to resist the tensile, shearing and bending stresses acting upon them. The dragon head 18 shown in FIG. 4 is made according to the Chinese tradition. The eyes 19 of the dragon can be made with electric light bulbs and lit by battery. The beard 20 must'be soft and long so it nearly touches the water. The dragon tail 21 has spines sticking out as shown in FIG. 1. Different patterns of dragon scales are painted on the hull so that section joints 22 cannot be easily seen. Each dragon boat may be painted with its particular color to indicate whether it is a white or black dragon, a green or blue dragon, a golden or silvery dragon, etc. The dragon boat may be painted with a special pigment which will shine at night when illuminated by light. If the dragon boat is made of synthetic material, a series of small electric bulbs may be installed inside the hull and lit by battery. If the race is conducted in the night time, the observers can see several dragon boats of different colors dashing on the water surface in the dark nights. The phenomena will be splendid.

What I claim new improvements that do not exist with the present dragon boats is:

1. A dragon boat made of metallic or synthetic materials is divided into sections of equal lengths and similar construction except the two sections near its head and tail, diaphram plates are installed at both ends of each section and a narrow stiffening plate is installed at the center of each section between the two diaphram plates, two angles are fixed side by side to each of the said diaphram plate and narrow stiffening plate, a seat made of either wood or synthetic materials is attached to the top of the two angles, the two adjoining sections are connected by bolts of proper sizes and sufficient number through bolts holes provided in the diaphram plates, three of the four diaphram plates in each of the sections near the head and tail of the dragon boat are provided with openings for the stems of the dragon head and tail to pass through, around the openings are provided with soft springs, the ends of the stems are fastened by long bolts to angles which are fixed to the fourth diaphram plates at the said sections, paints of different colors with some special pigments which shine when illuminated by light are applied on the hull of the dragon boats, electric bulbs of different sizes lit by battery may be installed as eyes or lined inside the hull for shining scales.

2. As in claim 1, the body of the dragon boat which is nearly feet long or over is made up of short sections that can be detached very easily for storage or transportation when it is not in use and also can be assembled to become a full size dragon boat in a short time when it is needed in the race.

3. As in claim 1, when the long dragon boat is disassembled either for storage or transportation, the sections can be laid down with the bottoms on the floor, or upside down, or standing on the ends as the situation and space allow.

4. As in claim 1, the openings provided in the diaphram plates for the stems of the dragon head and tail to pass through being larger than the stems and the soft springs around the stems which furnish some kind of spring action, together with the long bolts which fasten the stems to the angles on the diaphram plates having smaller diameters than the bolt holes in the stems, make the head and tail of the dragon boat swaying up and down, right and left during the racing that gives the observers an immagination as if the dragon is alive and wagging its head and tail.

5. As in claim 1, the body as well as the head and tail of the dragon boat may be painted with different colors of paints with some special pigments which will shine at night when it is illuminated by light, or lined with electric bulbs in different patterns lit by battery, which presents a splendid scene when the race is conducted either in day time under the sun or at night time when itisdark. 

1. A dragon boat made of metallic or synthetic materials is divided into sections of equal lengths and similar construction except the two sections near its head and tail, diaphram plates are installed at both ends of each section and a narrow stiffening plate is installed at the center of each section between the two diaphram plates, two angles are fixed side by side to each of the said diaphram plate and narrow stiffening plate, a seat made of either wood or synthetic materials is attached to the top of the two angles, the two adjoining sections are connected by bolts of proper sizes and sufficient number through bolts holes provided in the diaphram plates, three of the four diaphram plates in each of the sections near the head and tail of the dragon boat are provided with openings for the stems of the dragon head and tail to pass through, around the openings are provided with soft springs, the ends of the stems are fastened by long bolts to angles which are fixed to the fourth diaphram plates at the said sections, paints of different colors with some special pigments which shine when illuminated by light are applied on the hull of the dragon boats, electric bulbs of different sizes lit by battery may be installed as eyes or lined inside the hull for shining scales.
 2. As in claim 1, the body of the dragon boat which is nearly 100 feet long or over is made up of short sections that can be detached very easily for storage or transportation when it is not in use and also can be assembled to become a full size dragon boat in a short time when it is needed in the race.
 3. As in claim 1, when the long dragon boat is disassembled either for storage or transportation, the sections can be laid down with the bottoms on the floor, or upside down, or standing on the ends as the situation and space allow.
 4. As in claim 1, the openings provided in the diaphram plates for the stems of the dragon head and tail to pass through being larger than the stems and the soft springs around the stems which furnish some kind of spring action, together with the long bolts which fasten the stems to the angles on the diaphram plates having smaller diameters than the bolt holes in the stems, make the head and tail of the dragon boat swaying up and down, right and left during the racing that gives the observers an immagination as if the dragon is alive and wagging its head and tail.
 5. As in claim 1, the body as well as the head and tail of the dragon boat may be painted with different colors of paints with some special pigments which will shine at night when it is illuminated by light, or lined with electric bulbs in different patterns lit by battery, which presents a splendid scene when the race is conducted either in day time under the sun or at night time when it is dark. 